My daughter has been participating in intensive treatment and therapy for PTSD following years of childhood trauma, resulting from living in the battlefield that was our home. She witnessed abuse, and was subjected to the resulting years of the craziness of religious abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and a mom who was barely hanging on to life. My ex husband is an addict and like most addicts hides his addiction well enough to fool everyone. He served in many, many high leadership callings with in our wards and stakes. Part of the therapy my daughter is going through opens the mind to memories long buried or hidden that would cause anxiety if remembered in non treatment settings. My daughter, without the therapy, recalls her father recounting gross and vivid details of his pornography “addiction” to her at the age of 13, and having one on one meetings weekly with her bishop to “get help” for her “masturbation problem” (diagnosed by her father, projecting his own illness on his child). She is a child with ADHD and has sensory issues associated with that diagnosis, a common self soothing activity for children with this diagnosis is to have self stimulation behaviors. This is not masturbation. During these two years, I was not aware that these interviews where happening. I had no idea that he disclosed his addiction to a 13 year old child… these things came to light later.
The memories coming up for her now in treatment therapy are of her father, who was serving in a bishopric at the time, sitting her down alone, and asking clear and pointed questions about how long it took her to come to orgasm when she was masturbating, she was between 8-9 years old when he asked these questions. THIS WAS HER FATHER ASKING THESE QUESTIONS. Using his “mantle” of bishopric member to guilt and shame her, and then forcing her to kneel and beg for forgiveness for answering questions she didn’t understand. This is a gross misuse of a priesthood calling, a calling of fatherhood. THIS IS GROOMING!! THIS IS CHILD ABUSE!
These interviews MUST STOP. No child is safe, even from a parent. These questions must never be asked.